I am selling my Canon GL2 and pursuing getting a PD-170 for superior low light recording.
Anyways I have come across these two posts on another forum

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t52938.html

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t108229.html

I tried a search here and didn't find much, is this a real problem with the PD-170 or an isolated case?

Thanks

I've been using 2 150's for over 3 years now and haven't had any focus problem at all. Extreme light to almost pitch black and back again with no incidents. I have used auto focus and manual focus depending on the situation and haven't experieced anything like it at all.

Seems to me like a freak thing.

Personally I wouldn't worry about it. But thats just me :-)

Don B

There was a problem with those two cameras under discussion.

150's don't focus really well in very dim light. The focus will hunt.

Otherwise, there are no 'normal' problems at all with focus on the cameras.

There is a backfocus adjustment. Service department only however. I had Sony knock mine out of adjustment on a trip to the service group. They fixed it and the backfocus is just fine.

I've purchased 2 170s in the last 3 months to replace our GL2s. No focus problems that I can detect.

Just tested both cameras in bright light with ND2. Went full zoom and manual focus on distant object. Pulled back to wide, mid-range and back to full zoom shooting at each point with no focus adjustment. Played back tape and all appears normal. I'd say buy from a reputable dealer and don't worry about it.

Bob

Bob, how do you like the PD170 compared to the GL2?

I was pretty satisfied with the GL2 except in darker situations like most wedding receptions, then it went to crap.

Do you miss the 20X Zoom?

Jeff,
I switched from the GL2 just because of the low-light issue. Seems that more and more wedding facilities are going darker and I was just getting tired of worrying about it.

I've shot just one wedding with the 170 so far and I was impressed since I never had to go over 3dB. I always had to use 12dB with the GL2, not a bad picture but video stills were more grainy and soft compared to the 170. Based on the 1st wedding, I decided to buy the second 170.

I'm sure I'll wish I had the 20x someday, but so far the 1 lux is what I really want. Even the FX1 can't come close to that and if you're shooting weddings, 75% or more of your day might be low-light.
Bob

Check out the "Focus Issues" section. I can't verify this with my own experience, but Alan is a smart guy, so his thoughts and findings are worth considering.

http://alanbarker.com/